Pairing Cigars & Alcohol – Tanqueray 10
Cigars and alcohol. Two luxury products that go hand in hand, and sometimes even meet on business level. Aging tobacco in whisky, rum, or cognac barrels is a practice several brands do to achieve extra flavour to the wrapper for certain lines.
The famous bourbon brand Maker’s Mark has their own cigar, sold in tubes with the signature wax coating. Drew Estate works with Pappy van Winkle and used to make Kahlua cigars. Mombacho used to have the Diplomatico series but Mombacho no longer exists. General Cigars works with Sazerac, which resulted in Fireball cigars, Weller by Cohiba and collaborations with Buffalo Trace. And there is the Diesel Whisky Row, a collaboration with Rabbit Hole Distilleries. Fratello Cigars also sells craft beer.
Most famous are probably the Cuban collaboration between Martell Cognac and Cohiba. Dominique London, the European retailer with more than 20 shops in the UK, Belgium, Switzerland and the Canary Islands takes it one step further. They bought a distillery in Wales and produce whisky, gin, rum, vodka and liquors.
Tanqueray 10
Tanqueray gin was initially distilled in 1830 by Charles Tanqueray in the Bloomsbury district of London. The retail outlet of Edward & Charles Tanqueray & Co was established on Vine Street, London, in 1838 When Charles died in 1868, his son Charles Waugh Tanqueray inherited the distillery, which continued to operate until it was severely damaged during World War II. The only building to survive the Axis bombing, now known as “Old Tom”, has since been moved to Cameron Bridge, Scotland nose reminds me a lot of an old fashioned with the orange, the hint of bitters and the aromas of the whisky. The flavour does not remind me of an old fashioned though, although there are some similarities such as the classic bitters flavour. But the sweetness is different, sweet vermouth has more flavour and depth than just sugar while the brandy adds a fruity flavour. A medium bodied Nicaraguan cigar with a mild peppery and woody aroma would fit best.
Furthering the legacy of the original London Dry recipe, Tanqueray Nº Ten sets the standard as the first ultra-premium gin. Distilled in small batches with the four original botanicals of London Dry and the addition of fresh whole grapefruits, oranges, limes and chamomile flowers, Tanqueray Nº Ten Gin brings an explosion of fresh citrus with every sip. Tanqueray Nº Ten is the only Gin and only white spirit that has been awarded a place in the Hall of Fame at the San Francisco Spirits Awards
Neat
The nose gives the main ingredient of the drink away, juniper. Add a little lemon zest , grapefruit and some other botanicals and you have the nose of this gin. The flavour is juniper with orange and lemon in the front of the mouth. The gin is warming, creamy with angelica, pine, grapefruit and peppercorn notes. The finish has some earthy notes, and that’s why I would pair this with an earthy cigar such as the Montecristo No.2 or EPC’s Pledge. But not the prequel, I would pair this with the limited edition Pledge Lonsdale.
Gin & Tonic
The tonic kills all the aroma of the gin and a big ice cube doesn’t help the aroma either. The juniper and citrus aromas are still shining through, but a lot of the other nuances are washed away by adding tonic to this gin. This is one of the few gins that I prefer neat over a gin & tonic. I would pair this with a fairly mild cigar, a Fonseca Delicias or Dunbarton Sobremesa Brulee, both mild but with complexity to add that depth to this pairing.
And now for the gin tonic recipe:
2 ounces or 60ml of gin
4 ounces or 120ml of Tonic water
Fill a Copa or Collins glass with ice. Add the gin, then the tonic and stir gently.
Grapefruit Spritz
This is Tanqueray’s twist on the famous Aperol Grapefruit Spritz and most likely this version is less bitter, as Aperol is a slightly bitter liqueur. Not as bitter as Campari, but still, it has more bitterness than Gin. The bitterness in this cocktail comes from grapefruit.
The cocktail’s aroma is grapefruit from the garnish. Before I took my first sip, my wife tried her glass and said “this is so nice”. And I agree with her, a fantastic combination of sweetness due to the rich simple syrup, the bitterness and freshness of the grapefruit and the juniper and botanicals of the gin. It’s very easy to drink and a step up from a gin & tonic. It has freshness, depth, character and the botanicals. This is a friendly cocktail and would go well with almost any type of medium or stronger cigar.
And now for the Grapefruit Spritz recipe:
1 ounce or 30ml of gin
½ ounce or 15ml of rich simple syrup (2:1)
2 ounces or 60ml of (pink) grapefruit juice
1 ounce or 30ml of Soda water
Pour all ingredients into a wineglass or Copa glass with ice, stir and garnish with a wedge of pink grapefruit
Inspector X
